‘I'm not calm enough to be QUEEN!'

Dame Helen Mirren on why she respects the Queen – but wouldn’t want to be her

She has enjoyed a glittering career spanning five decades, but for many, Dame Helen Mirren’s most famous role is still playing Queen Elizabeth II in the 2006 film, The Queen. Helen, 76, won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Her Majesty and, unsurprisingly, she reveals that playing someone she admired so much came with a huge amount of responsibility.

The actor explains, ‘When we did The Queen, a film like that had never been done before. So I had all these questions: Are you allowed to do that? Is that right? I thought it was actually pretty cool to live in a society where you are allowed to [make a film like that], but I was shocked it was a possibility! I knew a lot of attention would be paid to it so I had to be very careful. It was an incredible opportunity.’